De Beers invests $5 million to expand India’s diamond grading unit

De Beers’ International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR) in the Indian city of Surat. (Image courtesy of De Beers Group.)

De Beers Group, the world's top diamond producer by value, unveiled Tuesday its newly expanded diamond grading and testing centre in Surat, an Indian port city known for being a major hub of diamond cutting and polishing.

De Beers also plans to launch in Surat its first ever education service, covering the entire diamond pipeline.

The facility expansion, which required a $5-million spending, takes the group’s total investment in Surat since 2015 to $15 million, De Beers said in a statement.

The diamond giant, a division of Anglo American, also plans to launch its first ever education service to cover the entire pipeline and support further growth in the Indian sector.

The program, scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2017, will be run out of Surat and comprise courses that cover essential subjects for India’s diamond sector, including polished diamond grading, diamond foundation and synthetics, De Beers said.

About 90% of the global rough diamond supply is cut and polished in India, with the sector employing around 800,000 people in highly-skilled jobs.

De Beers says the Surat centre is the world’s most technically advanced diamond grading facility. (Image courtesy of De Beers Group.)